This section was mainly through the Angeles National Forest. It started off going through Tehachapi Pass where they grow windmills, dropped into the desert plain where they grow solar panels, and then traversed along the LA aqueduct. 58 miles out of Tehachapi the trail turned East and follows balcony paths lined with vicious scrub plants (some spiky, some poisonous, none friendly).
At the end of the section the trail enters the Pleasant Ridge View Wilderness (high hopes for this area!) and climbs Mt Baden Powell.
D127 Fri 18 Oct. Tehachapi to windy camp mile 551.7
12.00 – 18.20 PCT miles 14.8
Rested and refreshed, we caught the $3 bus out of town and were back on trail at noon. We were carrying 12kg of water as it’s 31 miles to the next water stop. Bit heavy, but now without the bear cans and crampons (valuable kit for the desert…not) the bags weren’t too bad.
K started the walk by almost stepping on a snake. Hard to remember to watch out for all the potential trail hazards sometimes.
Up hill all afternoon through the wind farm with vast views over the desert. Quite warm in the sun, moderated by the wind.
We were passed late in the afternoon by 3 other hikers and, as our map shows only one campsite ahead, when we spotted a clearing in some bushes, providing shelter from the stiff breeze (it is a wnd farm!) We dived in and just squeezed the tent in. Unfortunately brushing up against these bushes seemed to induce minor itching. But they did cut the wind!
D128 Sat 19 Oct. Windy camp mile 551.7 to very windy camp mile 525.7
05.55 – 17.20 PCT miles 26
Almost a marathon. And it would have been but for the wind! The interest for the day was limited to the exploration of LA’s utility services (wind and solar power and water).
We finished off the uphill this morning. Nice sunrise over the desert plain below. Then descended onto that plain through more wind farm. Its incredibly windy.
The only water source was a tap, which is located on the side of a concrete block and draws from the Los Angeles aqueduct. Very useful for us. So cooked dinner, trying as best we could to keep out the wind-blown grit. Topped up the water bottles to make the next 17 miles and set off along the concrete covered aqueduct…and kept walking along the aqueduct for miles. I had imagined sailing down an open water flume on my inflated thermarest, drink in one hand, choc bar in the other hand. No such luck, the reality was the option to walk on concrete or the dirt track that runs alng side the aqueduct, tedious but not hard going.
The problem though is the very strong wind (I suppose thats why they planted all those turbines, and why they grew so tall!). There’s nothing but a barbed wire fence, a half dozen cows and the occasional Joshua tree out here. No shelter or wind break. We knew we couldn’t make the 17 miles to Hiker Town, our next stop, this afternoon and just had to keep walking while looking for any likely shelter.
We found a very slight bank at the side of the road and a small depression beyond it. Just enough to ease the wind a bit, so decided to stop even though we had light for another couple of miles.
Turns out this was fortunate as we were checking the map notes going forward and discovered that the sole store in Agua Dulce, where we intended to resupply, closed down 2 weeks ago! So K spent the extra down time replanning the resupply stops for the next couple of hundred miles.
D129 Sun 20 Oct. Very windy camp mile 525.7 to Horse Trail Camp mile 508.1 via Hiker Town
05.55 – 17.40 PCT miles 17.6 (4 hrs in Hiker Town
We survived the night. Just. It was extremely windy all night, making the tent rattle a lot so sleep wasn’t easy, even though the temperature inside the tent was very mild.
Packing up in the wind was unpleasant and we were wearing nearly everything as it was very cold.
Cloud boiled right down from the tops of the hills on both sides to the valley floor, though above the tops, and in the center of the valley, there was no cloud. Made for some very moody dawn views.
We stormed along the 9 miles of aqueduct, some concrete slab, some dirt road, some exposed metal pipe and finally some actual open water!
Arrived at Hiker Town by 09.00.
We were greeted by Bob, the caretaker/host, as we walked in the gate and immediately offered a ride the 4 miles to the local cafe and store. ManSoda, a German hiker we met yesterday joined us.
We had a breakfast burrito (satisfying, but nowhere near as good as the Shelter Cove burrito). The chef then kindly offered a free taste of today’s noodle soup….a huge portion it turned out!
We bought our resupply. I had another burrito while K had berry pancakes with fried eggs and bacon (I really don’t get the American sweet/savory on one plate breakfast thing) and were whisked back to hiker town by Bob. Here we met Richard, the multi-millionaire (oil barron and Disney executive) owner. He invited us into his own house (not his main residence – that’s in Hollywood next door to Kevin Bacon!) And regailed us with the tales of how he got into being a trail angel, while plying us with tea, donuts and homemade cookies.
He insisted we meet the pony and goat:
We finally tore ourselves away after anther 2 hours and hit the trail out of town. Just about 9 miles, via a water cache, which Bob maintains. We made it halfway up the hills on this side of the valley with views back to the aqueduct and yesterday’s wind farm. Fortunately the weather was much improved with the cloud gone and wind dropped so tonight looks like it will be a comfortable rest!
D130 Mon 21 Oct. Horse Trail Camp mile 508.1 to Lake Hughes Road mile 485.5
06.05 – 16.30 PCT miles 22.5
A relatively easy day! Half an hour of ascent to gain a ridge. Turn left. Keep going at around 5500′ for 20 miles. Pick up water at a spring 2 miles before camp, descend to the road and camp in the dry stream bed just after the road. Easy!
And, because we were on the north side of the ridge most of the day, and it was mainly either large bushes or young oak forest, it was fairly well shaded. The only downside being those tiny annoying black flies love oak forest as much as they love tormenting us. Spent most of the day wearing the head nets. 😦
Not much to see, just that wind and solar farm again! Basically heading back east on the opposite side of the valley after all those miles going West along the aqueduct. No Southerly progess at all! A bit demoralizing.
The only consolation was that we hit the 500 to go point today.
Towards the end of the day we saw Lake Elizabeth; kind of stange to see water in the desert.
I suppose we could have pushed on to get 5 miles further down the trail, but we preferred relaxing and fitting in a quick yoga session before dark.
D131 Tue 22 Oct. Lake Hughes Road mile 485.5 to some random spot found in the dark, mile 462.8
06.05 – 19.20 PCT miles 22.8 (1hr 10 spent filtering water.
It was stupidly hot. We followed a narrow yellow-brown line of dirt between spiky bushes over 3000′ worth of hills. It was very very hot.
Nice dawn light again as we headed up the first hill of the day:
The morning’s water came from a tap outside Green Valley Fire Station (thank you!). Where else would have a reliable source of water in the desert?
Then we walked more. It was up again. It was still hot. For some reason there was also a spade!
At one shade break we were swarmed by wasps; one got stuck in Ks hair! Fortunately it did not sting her. Stung me instead. Took a break at the Bob Kimmerly memorial bench; lovely spot in the shade and nice to see that his dream of a 50 mile race through this region was realised.
Later in the day we noticed that K had a red rash down both legs. Guess from some offensive plant (poison oak or poodle dog bush). Thankfully it wasn’t too itchy.
The evening’s water was a tiny trickle only accessible because someone piped it. Full of silt (and a couple of tiny worms) it took over an hour to collect and filter enough for tonight and tomorrow….so we didn’t find a campsite until after dark. Thus its late and we’re tired.
D132 Wed 23 Oct. random spot found in the dark, mile 462.8 to KOA campground mile 444.2 via Agua Dulce for breakfast with Tom!
06.05 – 0900 & 13.00 – 16 45 PCT miles 18.4 + 0.3 bonus miles = 18.7
Desperately bad start to the day. I burnd a 3″ diameter hole in my sleeping bag. Just turned over and it flopped into contact with the hot stove. Micro seconds was all it took. Fortunately nothing worse, and we patched it up with KT tape (usually use in physiotherapy to support muscles) as gaffa tape wouldn’t stick. The only good news is that K’s rash from yesterday has gone down.
Had an easy and very quick 9 miles down to Agua Dulce, almost all of it predawn. En route we saw 2 coyote, but they didn’t hang around.
In Agua Dulce we met our new friend, Tom, for brunch at 10 am. We’d spoken very briefly with Tom at Kennedy Meadows store – he was on a motorcycle tour, and he had a look at our blog. Unbelievably to us, Tom drove half an hour to meet us and incredibly generously bought us breakfast!!!! Huge thank you! We had a fabulous but all too brief chat over bacon and eggs. Tom, a retired motorcycle policeman, is amazingly knowledgeable about American geography and history and it was a great conversation; I wish we’d had more time!
But miles don’t make themselves. So in the blistering heat of the afternoon we headed off.
Passed Vasquez Rocks, a well known upheaval, used in many film and TV backdrops from Star trek to Bonanza…there was a film crew arriving as we passed. Half a dozen trucks, 20 or so cars…making it extremely difficult to get a decent photo.
Made it to the KOA campground which has a shop….well, it has a shelf with a very minimal resupply! But noodles, pasta and chocolate biscuits were to be had, so Karen made up a 4 day resupply and we shared a pint of ice cream for dinner. We are the only tent here. SHOWER & LAUNDRY! Nice.
Also took the time to plan the rest of this section’s water sources. Long carry tomorrow, but after that it looks like 8-10 mile intervals, which is quite civilized really.
D133 Thr 24 Oct. KOA campground mile 444.2 to v windy spot past Mill Creek fire station mile 417.5
05.30 – 18.30 PCT miles 26.7 + 0.3 bonus miles = 27 miles
What a place to put a full service front country campground! Trainline on one side; they stopped at midnight and started again at 3.30am. Road on the other side; commuter traffic started at 4am. We got up at 4.30 and got on with the day.
Fortunately we got about 3000′ of the 4000′ ascent done either in the dark of predawn or in the shade of early morning. The sun was intense but the wind, gusting to 60mph kept us cooler than yesterday.
A water cache 8 miles in, at a seasonal ranger station, provided by the friendly caretaker, was a god send; saving hauling water up half of today’s ascent.
Once on the ridge at 6000′ and 1pm, it was easier contouring for 13 miles or so. Views back down to Vasquez rocks and Agua Dulce. We could even see the wind farm (still!) over near Tehachapi…it’s turned into the Mount Shasta of SoCal (in Oregon and NorCal, Mt. Shasta seemed to be on the horizon for ever before we finally passed it).
Looking back to Agua Dulce we could see a huge fire, with helicopters surveying it. Hopefully they can get it under control quickly as its really dry round here and likely to spread in these high winds.
In the afternoon we came across a guy transporting a deer carcass by bicycle along the trail. Like his ingenuity, but it still looked like hard work. Nice views down the valley as we continued our Eastward contouring.
Picked up our evening’s water at a carpark just outside another fire station and made the last mile to the campsite. It is regrettably sloping, and not that well sheltered (no trees, only a few bushes) but it’ll have to do as we’re both rather foot sore. The hard ground and heat are taking quite a toll on our feet. Meteo is for the wind to drop by tomorrow afternoon, so it could be another rattly night 😦
D134 Fri 25 Oct. v windy spot past Mill Creek fire station mile 417.5 to campsite mile 399.5
07.30 – 15.30 PCT miles 18 (1.5 hrs trail magic!)
There are hardly any polite words to describe last night. 60 mph wind howling down the valley. The tent rattling and thrumming like the sail of a racing yacht, battering us on the head or feet as it bucked and heaved. Everything getting covered in wind-blown grit. Neither of us had more than a wink of sleep. Around 2am one of the corner guy lines snapped, so I had to go out in the blowing dust and tie it off. At least the fabric was intact.
So we lay in a little hoping the warmth of the sun might ease the wind. It did, but not until this afternoon…packing up was a fight with the tent-turned-kite. No tea at breakfast; no way the stove would manage.
So after poor sleep at KOA the previous night and virtually none this last night (following our second longest day on trail thus far), the first hill of the day was a zombie like affair. The only good thing is that we could see that the fire from yesterday was out!
Not much going on today. After the ascent, mainly contouring on a path overgrown with very spiky bushes. Ouch. Got hot in the early pm making us more tired and a bit miserable. We knew the desert would be hard, and it is meeting our expectations.
However there was a fabulous surprise at the end of the day: we arrived at a trailhead to find Magic! Blue hiked the PCT NoBo last year and did 1700 miles SoBo this year and was there to meet friends on the trail. They hadn’t arrived yet so we got an ice cold beer and wonderful chicken and avocado tacos. Also had a great chat about some of the other trails she is interested in, and that we’ve done (Wind River High Route, Sierra High Route, etc), so nice to chat with like minded folk who are thinking beyond the PCT. K also had a cuddle from her dog, a gangly 15 month old retriever.
Now camped in a pine forest on a completely flat site, not a breath of wind, and only crickets making a noise. Looking forward to a big snooze!
D135 Sat 26 Oct. campsite mile 399.5 to Mt. Baden Powell mile 378.3
06.00 – 18.30 PCT miles 22.2 (1.5 hr siesta)
Much better day! following a good night’s sleep. Pleasant strolling through open pine forest in the cool morning. First water was an actual flowing stream; more moving water than we’ve seen since the Kern River >200 miles away.
Much of the day was spent parallel with LA highway 2, which twists its way around Mt. Baden Powell and looks like a good one for a road bike. We had to walk 2.5 miles on it as there is a trail closure to protect the endangered yellow-legged frog population (which I think is the same species as we encountered in the Sierra near Golden Bear Lake).
The afternoon was basically a 2600′ climb along a ridge towards Mt Baden Powell, picking up water at Little Jimmy Spring, which was flowing well. We decided to have our main meal at Windy Gap just above this so we’d have less water to carry for the afternoon. We had views South West to LA (we think we may have seen the pacific ocean for the first time on this trip, over 2000 miles into the PCT) and North East to the plains. Lots of smoke haze at the moment.
Got some hints of the red sunset in among the residual smoke from wildfires, but K was a bit frustrated by trees blocking the best views.
Camped on the ridge 0.5 miles short of the summit overlooking LA…it was nice when we arrived but the wind seems to be picking up. I’m sure it can’t be as bad as two nights ago! We amuse ourselves in the tent by reading hiker reviews (on our map app) of the small number of restaurants in Wrightwood, trying to decide which we’ll eat at tomorrow.
D136 Sun 27 Oct. Mt. Baden Powell mile 378.3 to Wrightwood off mile 369.3
Unbelievable! It was a beautiful calm evening when we pitched on the ridge. 2 hours later (fortunately after dinner!) the wind picked up to storm force again; the tent heaving and flapping, though once again I’m astounded how stable it is. However the noise and the worry that a peg may pull or the material may fail is not conducive to a decent night’s sleep. 11.30pm and we gave up. I went to look for somewhere more sheltered, and found that the entire opposite side of the ridge was completely draught-free! All we needed was a flat spot….which we found just a couple of hundred meters along the trail. So by midnight we were re-homed, quiet and cozy. Much better but frustrated by only 5 hours sleep; if only it had been windy when we were searching for a pitch in the first place. Ah well.
So, dawn on Mt Braden Powell at 9400′, a little understated but nice, if breezy.
We made a rapid exit down down down the many switchbacks, meeting a surprisingly large number of folk heading up (then we realized its the weekend – days of the week are fairly irrelevant on trail).
Crossing highway 2 yet again, we had just 5 miles or so to a final crossing, where there is a pull off and view point. Karen was on the camera straight away, which (being a big professional looking bit of kit) always attracts attention…useful when you’re looking for a lift 🙂
So a lovely couple, Steven and Laura, ever so kindly gave us a ride the few miles into Wrightwood and dropped us off right in the middle of town.
Huge omelettes and a milkshake in the rather busy and noisy Evergreen Cafe hit the breakfast/lunch spot nicely (K’s resupply was pretty much spot on this section as we walked off trail with just 2 packets of Skittles left over, but not what we fancied for second breakfast).
The Hardware store was a surprising location to find a hiker box (spare gas cans for tea brewing while we’re in town) and a deck with sunshade to hang out until our motel room was available. They also gave us “PCT badges” (American: “Pins”), and extremely generously let me use an already open can of “dry lubricant” to treat the tent zips which, due to the dust and grit, have more in common with a bank vault than an easy access door!
Just trying to get through the town jobs before we settle down to a room picnic (rotisserie chicken and salad) and hopefully a decent film on TV. Need a bit of mental down time!
Summary: We are finding the desert section very hard. Sore feet, dehydrated, hot, and the views are expansive but unchanging. Hoping that the Mt San Antonio and San Jacinto Mtns to the South will provide some interest, although our thoughts have already turned to our 2 weeks rest in San Diego at the end of the PCT.
Current stats:
Total miles walked: 2365.8
Miles to Mexico: 369.3
Days out: 136
Days when it rained or snowed: 21
D'n'K on the PCT 